Coal mining apparatus



Sept. 28, 1937. v G. D. MILLER COAX; MINING APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l sm Sm.

gmc/who@ Sept. 28, 1937. G. D. MILLER f 2,094,218

COAL MINING APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1955 s sheets-sheet 2 Sept. 28, 1937. G. D. MILLER 2,094,218

coALI MINING APPARATUS` FiledV April 29, 19:55 s sheets-sheet s y s+ -s Z4. i Z3 ,25mI 28 ZL Z- ai 22 i f @7A-l@ A *f fjh/ Q "I 14 A* l 20 Ag Cil Patented Sept. 28, 1937 YUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE',

Application April 29,

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to driving mechanism for coal undercutting machines, more particularly of the type having a bank of power driven augers extending forwardly from a wheeled carriage, although it may be modified for application to other types of machines.

In machines of the auger type, it is desirable tohave power driving means for advancing the augers into the coal as the cutting progresses. Thev drives hithertoused on this type of which I am aware have necessitated an anchor of some sort, as a mine prop, or a chain anchored to the walls, against which a push or pull could be exerted by the machine. When such anchors can be properly secured these types of drives are satisfactory, but where, due to the size of the tunnel or room, or the condition of the walls,diicu1ty is met with in providing a point against which the machine can exert a thrust, they are of course objectionable. Furthermore machines of this type havey to be pushed from place to place, and as they may be quite heavy, this is often a difcuit task.

One object of this invention is to provide a machine having an improved type of driving mechanism by which the supporting wheels of the machine are driven.

Another object of the invention is to include in the driving mechanism means whereby the travely of the machine may be reversed, in order that the angers may be withdrawn from the coal, or that the machine may be backed out of a narrow tunnel.

Another object is to provide such a mechanism having provision for more than one forward speed.

Still another object is to provide means for disconnecting one of the wheels" from the other so that they may run at different speeds, in order to allow the machine to be turned.

Another object is to provide a novel driving mechanism which will permit the height'of the augers with relation to the wheels to be adjusted.

. In Vthe. accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an undercutting machine equipped with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure` 2 is a plan showing the driving mechamsm.

Figure 3 isa sectional view `taken on the line 3--3.l of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on the line l5 5 of Figure 4,

1935, serial No. 18,943

(ci. 2oz-22) Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1 1 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is asectional view taken on the line 5 8-8 of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a sectional View taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 3.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the portion of the vertical adjustment device` that is secured to the carriage.

Figure 1l is a perspective view of the portion of the vertical adjusting device that is secured to the axle.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the guides for the vertical adjusting device.

Figure 13 is a perspective View` of the spacing device for adjusting the distance between the driving mechanism and the wheels.

Figure 14 is a side elevation showing a modified form of driving wheels.

Describing'4 the drawings, the coal undercuttin'g machine includes a carriage II which may include side plates I2, a bearing support I3 and a top I4. Upon the top is mounted a gear box I5 25 in which is a system of gearsthrough whicha motor I6 drives the forwardly extending augers I1. l

In the form shown in Figures 1-3 the carriage is supported by a pair of ground engaging wheels 30 I8 mounted upon sleeves I9 which are rotatable upon stub axles 2l). Each of the axles 20 extends horizontally from a vertically disposed dovetail member 2| slidably engaged between a pair of guides 22 lwhich may be bolted to the side plates I2 of the carriage.

Each of the members 2| bears at its upper en'd an inwardly projecting ear 23 having a threaded opening 24therein. The ears 23 enter through slots 25 into tubular members 26'mounted upon the top of the carriage, the members 2G being so positioned that the openings 21 in their tops lie directly over the threaded openings 24 in the ears when the members 2| are engaged between the guides 22. y I I Threaded rods 28 are swiveled in the openings 21 and project downwardly through the tubular members 26 and bear upon the top I4 of the carriage. The upper ends of these rods bear crank handles by means of which the rods maybe 59 turned. It will be appreciated that, inasmuch as the wheels I8 support the carriage through the lugs 23 and rods 28, turning the rods will raise or lower the carriage with respect to the ground.` In order to drive the wheels I8, the fol lowing mechanism is provided. Power is obtained from the motor I6 by extending rearwardly the spindle 30 that drives one of the augers, in the form of a stud 3l projecting from the gear box I5. Upon the stud 3I is mounted a bevel gear 32, the opposite sides of which mesh respectively with bevel gears 33 and 34 rotatably mounted upon a jack shaft 35. The jack shaft 35 may be supported between one of the side plates I2 and the bearing support I3 of the carriage. The gears 33 and 34 constantly rotate in opposite directions, the gear 33 being used Ias a reverse, and the gear 34 being used as a forward driving gear.

Describing the forward drive, the gear 34 through a gear wheel 36 revolving with it upon the jack shaft 35, drives a gear wheel 31 mounted revolubly upon a countershaft 38.

The countershaft 38 extends transversely of the machine `and beyond the side plate I2 in each side, being journaled in the side plates and in the bearing support I3 through which it p-asses.

A gear 39 revolves with the gear 31 upon the countershaft 38, and the gear 39 in turn drives a gear 4I] mounted on the jack shaft 35 and revoluble with respect to both the shaft 35 and the gear 36. Turning with the gear 40 is a gear 4I which drives a gear 42 revoluble upon the counter shaft 38 and revoluble also with respect to the gear 31.

The gears 31 and 42 are provided on vtheir relatively outward faces with toothed hubs 43 and 44 respectively, and these are engageable with toothed clutch members 45 and 46 respectively, which members are splined to the shaft 38 and are longitudinally slidable thereon. The mechanism for operating these clutch members will be described later. When the gear 31 is clutched to the shaft 38, the drive is directly through gears 34 and 31. Gears 39, 46, 4I, and 42 constitute a system of reduction gearing through which the wheels I8 may be driven more slowly than through the direct drive. As will appear later, the clutch members 45 and 46 are so controlled that they are not engageable at the same time.

The reverse gearing is a duplicate of the higher speed forward drive. The bevel gear 33 is constantly driven in the opposite direction to the bevel gear 34. Through the pinion 41, secured to it, the bevel gear 32 drives 'a gear 48 revolubly mounted on the countershaft 38 and having a toothed hub for engagement with the toothed side of the clutch member 45 opposite to that engaging the hub 43.

The clutch members 45 and 46 are controlled by the shifting mechanism best shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Slidably mounted in brackets 49 depending from the top I of the carriage and separated by a member 55 secured to one of the side walls I2 and the bearing support I3, are two shipper bars 5I and 52. Attached to these bars .are forks 53 and 54 engaging respectively the clutch members 46 and 45 and moving them into and out of engagement with the toothed hubs in response to longitudinal motion of the shipper bars. The shipper bars 5I and 52 have transverse channels 55 in their top portions, these channels being arranged to register with each other and with a similar channel 56 in the member 50 when `the clutch members 45 and 46 are both in their neutral or disengaged position, shown in Figure 4.

The movement of the shipper bars 5I and 52 is controlled by la lever 51 mounted for movement in any direction by means of a ball and socket joint 58 which supports the lever upon the top I4 of the carriage. Ihe lower extremity of the lever 51 engages selectively the channels 55 of the shipper bars, and the channel 56 allows it to be moved from one to the other when the clutch members are in their neutral position. Preferably the lower end of the lever 51 has a ball 59 thereon for ease in moving it, 'and the upper end may be provided with a handle portion.

To allow the driving wheels I9 to rotate at different speeds, as is necessary in making turns, the countershaft may be made in two sections, which may be connected or disconnected by means of a collar 60 surrounding a portion of both sections, but keyed to only one of them and having a toothed end 62, and a collar 63 having a toothed end 64 for engagement with the end of the collar 6I and longitudinally shiftable on the other section and secured against relative rotation with that section by splines. The shifting of the collar 63 may be controlled by a shipper lever 65 pivoted to the top I5 of the carriage.

The driving wheels I8 are driven from the countershaft 31 through a mechanism which permits compensation to be made for variations in the distance between the shaft 31 and the wheels I8 due to the vertical adjustment of the carriage I I by means of the crank handles 29. These mechanisms, at each end of the countershaft are duplicates, so only one will be described.

Outwardly of the side plate I2 of the carriage is a U-shaped bracket 66 having legs 61, the outer of which bears an extension 68. The legs of the bracket 66 are pivoted upon the countershaft 31 which passes through them. A gear wheel 69 mounted upon the countershaft, drives a gear wheel 19 mounted upon and keyed to a shaft 1I journaled in the extension 68 of the bracket. Mounted upon the shaft and rotating therewith is a sprocket wheel 12 which through a sproclet chain 13 drives a sprocket wheel 14 mounted upon the sleeve I9 of one of the wheels I4.

It will be apparent particularly from Figure 1 that as the distance between the countershaft 31 and the axle 20 varies, due to vertical rectilinear adjustment of the wheels, the bracket 61 will swing about the countershaft to properly adjust the tension of the sprocket chain 14, the gears 69 and always remaining in mesh.

In order that this adjustment may be positive, a turn buckle is provided, one end of which is connected to the axle 29 and the other end to the shaft 1I which runs in a bearing 16 provided in the end. Adjustment of the turnbuckle serves to-space the axle upon which the sprocket Wheel 14 turns, and the shaft 1I upon which the sprocket wheel 12 is mounted, so that the sprocket chain 13 may be kept properly taut.

In the modication shown in Figure 14, a caterpillar belt 11 is provided for the machine to travel upon. In this modification the wheels 18 which drive the belt 11 are mounted upon` axles 19 which are vertically adjustable with relation to the' carriage 86 in exactly the same way as the axles 29. Upon each of the adjustable members 8I which corresponds to the members 2I is secured a rearwardly extending support 82 at the rear extremity of which is rotatably mounted a cogged wheel 83 between which and the wheel 18 the belt 11 runs. Between the two wheels an idler wheel 84 is mounted upon the support 82 which engages the lower reach of the belt and runs along it during the travel of the machine.

',Ihe wheels 18 are driven in the same manner as the wheels I9 by sprocket chains 85 which in turn are driven by sprocket wheels 86 mounted and driven in the manner of the wheels 12 shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim, is:

1. In a coal mining machine, having 'a carrier, driving wheels mounted on the carrier, a plurality of forwardly extending augers and means for operating the augers, a spindle extending rearwardly from one of the augers, a jack shaft having two gears revolubly mounted thereon, said gears being driven in opposite directions by the said spindle, a countershaft, a plurality of gears for driving the countershaft at different speeds in one direction revolubly mounted on the countershaft and driven by one of the gears on the jack shaft, and a gear for driving the countershaft in another direction revolubly mounted on the countershaft and driven bythe other gear on the jack shaft, means for selectively clutching any one of the gears mounted on the countershaft to the countershaft, and means operatively connecting the countershaft and the driving wheels.

2. In a coal undercutting machine having a carrier and power driven coal undercutting means, kthe combination with driving wheels supporting the carrier and relatively vertically adjustable with respect thereto, of a countershaft mounted on the carrier and driven by the coal` undercutting means, a sprocket wheel support revolubly mounted on the countershaft, a sprocket wheel carried by the support and driven by the countershaft, and a strut adjustable in length and spacing the sprocket Wheel support from the driving Wheel for keeping the sprocket chain tight irrespective of the position of the driving wheel relative to the sprocket Wheel.

GIDEON D. MILLER. 

